Historical calendar: anniversary of the revolt and the top effort to escape prisoners of the German extermination camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Today in our calendar we will look at the past of this event.
In the spring of 1942, the Germans found a lead in the activities of the opposition movement operating in the camp. It was about the conspiracy union of the Military Organization created by Witold Pilecki. People suspected of participating in it were immediately shot. 1 of the first executed was Lieutenant Vladimir Makalinski. An officer was shot on June 4, 1942. Further executions took place in the following days.
Meanwhile, members of the resistance, placed in a penal company, realized that they would die, if not as a consequence of execution, as a consequence of a devastating organism, hard work. In specified a situation, the hope of endurance – albeit tiny – gave only an effort to escape.
The prisoners developed a plan: the escape was due to take place on 10 June after the signal announcing the end of their work in digging the drainage ditch and returning to the camp. Unfortunately, an unforeseen case occurred on the bad day – due to dense rain, the chief of the penal company – SSman Otto Moll, announced the end of work earlier.
The unexpected whistle of the SS made confusion among the prisoners who expected it much later. Still, about 50 of them started running. The Germans opened fire and killed 13 of them. 2 more were detained in pursuit.
Nine prisoners were released: August Kowalczyk, Jerzy Łachecki, Zenon Piernikowski, Aleksander Buczyński, Jan Laskowski, Józef Traczyk, Tadeusz Chróscicki junior, Józef Pamrow and Eugene Stoczewski. Unfortunately, respective days after the escape the Germans captured Buczyński and Stoczewski. They returned to camp, where they were shot a period later. In addition, in retaliation for the escape, the Germans shot 20 and gassed 320 prisoners of the penal company.
August Kowalczyk, a characteristic actor known, among others, from the films “Janosik” and “Boys”, in his postwar memoirs entitled “Refren barbed wire” wrote: “I am facing a forest... the gateway to freedom. As shortly as possible, vanish from the SS' sightings... To the bushes... Closest left of me... Jumping from the graves and the shortest way to freedom...”
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
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